Fire in the Ashes
by pineappleyogurt
Summary: Set after Crooked Kingdom. A new threat rises to Ketterdam as Inej returns with Nina (and a surprise!) in tow. Rated T just in case (language, violence, etc)
1. Prologue - Matthias

**Hello! I'm pineappleyogurt, and this is my first-ever fanfic shared to this website! It's set after Crooked Kingdom. Reviews would be so great if you can spare the time. Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom are some of my favorite books, and I'm glad to share my ideas about them with you!**

 **Enjoy! ~pineappleyogurt**

 **Prologue**

 **Matthias**

Matthias had a strange taste in his mouth. It was like a bitter cold day and a smoky fire all at once, with the metallic tang of blood added in.

His brain felt disconnected from his body. That is, he was only aware of his thoughts. His arms, legs, even eyes seemed very far away, out of his control entirely.

 _Am I dead?_ he wondered. This wasn't the Fjerdan afterlife, nor was it one he'd ever heard of in stories Inej, Nina or Kuwei told.

"Yes." The voice was female. Crisp, clean, and sharp. It reminded Matthias of the time he dared his best friend to stay in the icy-cold stream for fifteen minutes and he pulled him in too.

Matthias tried to talk, but his mouth-although present, unlike the rest of him- didn't obey.

"Oh, I haven't done your voice box yet. One sec." The taste seemed to spread down Matthias's throat slowly, and he regained the use of his neck. He still couldn't move it without his head, but it was nice to be aware of more than just his mind and mouth.

"Who are you?" Matthias asked, struggling to form the words. He felt like he was speaking around air that was heavy and gooey. He couldn't see the woman talking, nor feel her physically.

"Nobody you need to worry about right now," the voice said. Matthias wished she'd give a name, and although now he knew she could hear him think that, she said nothing.

A long pause elapsed, the voice staying silent and Matthias's mind floating between shots of memory.

 _Cold, sharp air. Snow stretching out to forever, and a mountain in the distance. A blonde girl smiles at him. "Come on, Matt, play with us!"_

 _The heat of a fire warming his face as he screams himself hoarse. The people who created it are leaving without noticing him._

 _A girl, young and shameless. Her skin so close to his, he can feel the hairs on it raise from the chill._

 _A boy with dangerous dark eyes, killing a man. The man's body hits the wine-dark seas with strangled screams. The boy's eyes glint, with violence the closest thing to satisfaction Matthias has ever seen on him._

 _The same girl, her lips against his. Her hand on his neck, his in her hair._

"Good. Memories are good, they mean your brain is working. I guess I can do your eyes next, but I can't have you scared or restless." The voice seemed nonchalant as it talked about nothing Matthias could understand. "I just need you to stay calm when you can see, all right?"

 _Stay calm?!_ Matthias suddenly felt frightened, as most people are when told to stay calm, or not to panic. What was going on? He remembered trying to plead with a young Fjerdan. He remembered the gunshot, the pain ripping through him. He remembered saying goodbye to Nina. He remembered nothing after that, save waking up here. It wasn't even technically waking up. He'd simply become aware of his brain. "Where am I?" he said. This time the words seemed easier. "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing important," she said.


	2. Chapter 1 - Wylan

**haha next chapter already? Yes, I've written these two and am working on the next.**

 **Wylan**

 _I should have let Jesper come_. Wylan stared directly at the market stand, taking a deep breath in.

The woman behind it frowned. "Honey, can I help you?"

Wylan smiled at her. "Thanks, but I'm good. Just…" he winced at the sharp pain in his side. His ribs still hadn't healed all the way, and it had been a month. "Just taking my time."

He looked again at the labels on the unfamiliar fruit. Like usual, what should be neat, orderly symbols muddled into a tangle of shapes.

He had been so sure that he could do this alone. And so far, it had been easy: he didn't need to read to recognize zucchini. It was the Suli fruit that made him panic. He wanted so badly to get something to make Inej happy.

It was a gravelly young voice that saved him. "Pyneaple is yellow, she likes that. And get a few yirangis, too… she loves those."

Wylan looked behind him. Nobody was there. Kaz. It was the only explanation. Besides, it was his voice. The young merch ordered and paid quickly, before taking his groceries and looking closer at the crowd. Kaz Brekker was not Inej: that is, he could not melt into the shadows or perch on rooftops. He liked to hide in plain sight. Wylan looked closer at the people walking briskly past.

A dark-haired young boy with pale blue gloves leaned on an innocently small cane. His jacket was rumpled, and his shoes were scuffed. He raised an eyebrow at Wylan.

Wylan sighed and walked over. "Hello," he said.

"Hello," greeted Kaz, still smiling shyly like a kid. "Mister Van Eck?"

 _He's in disguise._ Wylan felt stupid for not recognizing it instantly. It was obvious from the way he talked, how he was dressed, how he held himself. If Wylan did not know better, he would've never identified the boy in front of him as criminal genius Kaz Brekker. The only option was to play along. "Yes, can I help you?" Wylan widened his eyes as if to say, Thank you, but what the hell are you doing?

Kaz tilted his head to the side. "Do you know what the Ice Court is?" We need to talk alone. It was a code they'd made after Inej had set sail to chase slavers. It wasn't the best, but at the time they'd been rushed.

"Yes. It is a prison of ice in spires." Meet you at my house?

Kaz nodded, sharply. "Does it melt at noon, sir?" Let's meet at noon.

"I would suppose it should, but it is Grisha-made." See you.

"You're telling me Kaz Brekker showed up at the busiest market in Ketterdam and planned a secret meeting?" Jesper asked. Wylan was lying with his head on the sharpshooter's lap, and he stroked Wylan's golden-red curls.

"Mm." Wylan nuzzled closer to Jesper's hand.

"My little merchling, you may be cute, but you still have to say _actual_ words." Jesper kissed him lightly on the nose. He could feel himself blushing.

"Yes. Yes. He did. I don't know why. Maybe it's about Nina?" Inej had written Kaz and Wylan (technically, Jesper had read it to him) that she was landing in Ketterdam soon with Nina in tow. Wylan had jumped at the chance to see his friends, inviting them to the Van Eck house as soon as Inej docked.

Jesper tangled his fingers in Wylan's hair. "Maybe Nina can fix your ribs."

Maybe she could. Even breathing hurt with a stabbing pain. It had gotten much better over the past month, but Jesper hesitated to really kiss him still, probably worried that he would hurt Wylan. "Maybe."

"But I'm not letting her near your face, Wy," he said. Wylan remembered walking into a room to see Jesper kissing Kuwei. The memory left a dissatisfied feeling in his chest. Yes, Jesper had said afterward that he'd meant to kiss Wylan, but he didn't like that Jes couldn't tell them apart. Kuwei was an idiot. Mostly because Wylan could tell he liked Jesper. Seeing the look on Wylan's face, Jesper smiled. "Merchling, I like you like this, okay? I like your stupid golden-red curls and your beautiful little eyebrows." He kissed Wylan's cheeks, his forehead, his hair. Wylan knew his blush was getting worse, but he didn't care. He wondered what Kaz would say.

Suddenly Wylan sat up, wincing at the pain. "Oh, I almost forgot! Kaz!" he said. "What time is it?"

"Eleven forty-three. You almost hit my nose." Jesper pretended to look offended.

"Sorry." Wylan smiled. He clasped Jesper's hand.

A sharp knock rang at the door. "Oh! I'll get that," Jesper said. He kissed Wylan's fingertips- every touch making his entire body buzz- and let go.

"No, I will, don't worry, Mr Fahey," Ana said, rushing into the room.

"Oh. Um." Jesper grinned awkwardly.

Wylan nodded politely. "Thank you, Ana," he said. "But it's okay right now. Could you find Jes, our guest, and I some refreshments? Jes or I can take care of the door." Wylan almost laughed thinking of prim Ana coming face-to-face with the infamous Dirtyhands of the Barrel.

Jes stood up and kissed Wylan once more on his flushed cheek. "Be right back," he said.


	3. Chapter 3 - Inej

**Hello! Looks like nobody bothered to review this. Huh. :(**

 **I hope you review it this time around! This chapter is Inej, and takes place in the Wandering Isles! We've never been there through Leigh Bardugo's writing, so I didn't do a lot of description. XD I was scared that I'd get it wrong.**

 **Well, have fun!**

 **~pineappleyogurt**

 **Inej**

If anybody asked, she was Inej Ghafa, Suli captain of _The Wraith_ , and she had never set foot on the island of Kerch. If anybody asked, she was brave, she was honest, and she only ever took from the bad. If anybody ever asked- and they didn't- she'd never been so close to Kaz Brekker that she could clasp his gloved hand in hers and kiss him on the mouth.

Although, if anybody asked, they'd be foolish. Because she was Inej Ghafa, and she wasn't simply the captain of a ship- she _was_ the Wraith.

Inej slipped her hand in her pocket, a fancy red jacket she'd stolen from slavers. Kaz would've deemed it unnecessarily flashy, with its small gold buttons and elaborate floral embroidery at the hems. She wondered what he would think now, seeing her dock in the Wandering Isles. She held her chin high and looked for the figure she'd come for.

Nina wasn't here yet. In her place stood a young, brown-haired Kaelish boy clutching a piece of parchment.

"Hello," Inej said in Kerch. It was the language most of her crew spoke, so it was the language she heard every day. .

The boy looked at her, confused, through his long red bangs. _Oops._ She'd completely forgotten that she was in the Wandering Isles. That meant another language.

"Er…" Inej searched her brain for her little Kaelish. She settled on simply "Nina."

The red-haired boy nodded and pointed to her. "Ih-nudge?" he asked. It took her a few seconds to realize he was saying _Inej_.

"Yes! Yes, Inej. Wraith." She grinned at him.

He smiled shyly. "Nina," he said. He thrust the paper towards her and as soon as she took it, yanked his hand back, as if he was afraid to touch her.

She looked at him for a long second, wondering if he was okay, before ripping open the envelope.

 _Hey Wraithy!_

 _Something came up with M.H.- will meet at dock around 6 bells._

 _-Nina Z_

 _PS congrats on the reputation! And the ship!_

 _PPS spoken to Kaz recently?_

 _PPS: I mean, or any of the others… just thought you might contact Kaz first?_

 _PPS: Don't be too surprised (winks)_

Inej shook her head. Nina had actually written the word "winks" in her letter. Who was "MH?" What had come up? Why couldn't Nina meet her now?

And don't be too surprised about what?

Inej tapped her fingers impatiently on the table in the captain's cabin. She took out some ink, a pen and some paper, adressed it to _Kaz Brekker_ , crumpled it up, threw it away. What would she say that she hadn't conveyed in her last letter? He wouldn't care about the way the sea smelled like salt and magic and mystery, or the gentle rocking of the boat, or the freedom of standing at the bow with her hair in the wind. He wouldn't care that she'd cut her hair to her shoulders and wore in it a ponytail now. He wouldn't care that she'd been gifted a new knife and chosen to keep Kaz's gifts instead. There was no point in writing a new letter.

She took out her knives one by one, even the small butterknife she'd stolen from some waffle place the day she'd left. Why had she even done that? To impress Kaz? No. There was no need in her to impress the bastard of the Barrel, the young dark haired boy with leather gloves and a crow-cane. She counted them, cleaned them, recited their names. _Sankt Pieter. Sankta Alina._ She put them all away, one by one, and tapped her fingers on the table again.

A few seconds later, Inej got up and got out Kaz's last letter to her, then just as promptly put it away. She already knew what it said. All of it crisp, clean, and businessman-like. She remembered a conversation from long ago. " _I'm a businessman. No more, no less."_ She'd smiled, a little. " _You're a thief, Kaz."_ He'd leaned on his cane and quirked an eyebrow. " _Isn't that what I just said?"_

Finally bells in the distance- the timbre unfamilar, the tone foreign to her ears- clanged, six times. Inej sighed and stood, walking briskly to the door. She nodded a hello to any of her crew members she came across, and quickly walked up to the deck. She saw two figures on the dock, walking around, pointing, and waiting. One she'd expected, but the other she didn't think much of at first. The first was tall. She was built largely, but she wasn't overweight. Just big. She had light brown hair and a red tunic, almost as if she'd been too lazy to put on her identifying _kafka,_ but decided to wear the color anyway.

The other one was large and blonde. He wore a loose, probably cotton dark green tunic and knee-length trousers. Inej stepped closer to the edge and squinted. "M-Matthias?" she stuttered. The last time she'd seen him, his body had been on a ship to Saints-know-where.

Nina seemed to be looking for something, but she soon found Inej's ship and waved, grinning. She yelled, "Come down!" and ran over to the bit of the dock directly next to _The Wraith._

Inej shrugged and walked down the gangplank. "Nina!" she said, and rushed to the Heartrender, hugging her. Nina held her at arm's length. She looked happy, and bright-eyed.

"You've gotten too slim, Inej. I'm feeding you all the waffles I can when we get to Ketterdam," Nina said seriously, then they both burst out laughing.

"It feels like forever!" Inej exclaimed. They were both talking quickly in Ravkan, both of them having forgotten their Kerch in their excitement.

"Excuse me?" asked a voice in Kerch.

Inej whirled to see… yes, that looked _exactly_ like Matthias Helvar, who must have been the "M.H." in Nina's letter. But it couldn't be. "Matthias?" Inej whispered.

Nina let go of Inej's shoulders, clasping the boy's (Matthias's?) hand in hers. She nodded.

"Hello," Matthias said, grinning. "Inej?"

Inej threw her arms around the giant Fjerdan. "Matthias!" she said in a tone Kaz would've mocked as a shriek. "You're alive!" She felt her eyes tearing up. Inej hugged Matthias for a few moments more, then stepped back, examining him for scars. "How? I thought-"

"I don't know," he said. "I just… woke up in the grass."

"But didn't Nina bury you?" Inej asked, imagining dirt surrounding her, restricting her movement, filling her lungs, trapping her. She blinked away the terrifying thought.

"Yes," said Nina. "In Fjerda."

Matthias paused, and then said, "I woke up here, in a field. I don't know how I got here, or how I'm even alive." He seems to be recalling a fuzzy memory, then shakes his head to clear it. "Djel cannot rise the dead in the stories I've heard."

"Maybe one of the Saints saved you," Inej said. "It doesn't matter." _Kaz would think it mattered._ "You're here. I can't believe it." _Thank you, my Saints._


End file.
